In recent news, an active duty military man made a mistake:
he said what he really thought about our political leaders
to the press.

His mistake is he let his face be seen and his name be known
to the hordes of Right Wing Zealots who will use their connections
to ruin his military career and his life.

It does not matter that he is right.

It does not matter that he is entitled to his opinion.

It does not matter that for eight years that these same
right-wing zealots encouraged the military to do the exact
same thing.

It only matters that he be destroyed for daring to contradict
the official Right Wing Zealot position: That the military
follows the Republican position in blind lockstep. Any evidence
to the contrary, say from a known military man who hides his
name through a web alias is to be discounted as "an obvious
fraud." And any evidence presented by a man in uniform
is to be ignored if possible, and if not, punished as harshly
as possible.

Feel sorry for the poor man, for he dared exercise his rights
while he was sworn to defend them.

Of course, if he had said the same things four years ago,
the same people out to destroy him would applaud him, and
protect him tooth and nail from any repercussion.

That was then, though, and this is now.

I feel for him, for I was close to being put in a similar
position.

My ship was going to have "embedded media" on
board. The crew was notified, and told where to find the rules
so they wouldn't say the "wrong" things.

Since I made no secret of my opinions, the warning was given
to me twice, along with a hardcopy of the rules so no mistake
could be made on my part: I could make no statement about
the reasons for the war, nor my personal opinion of it. If
I made such a statement, I would be punished. The reason?
I was in uniform, and in uniform I was a representative of
the Navy, and had to provide the official Navy position or
remain silent.

And no, I was not allowed to take off the uniform before
speaking to the press. I asked.

The media never did come on board, so I never found out
if I would remain silent or speak. I was never tested, as
the Army Sargent was. He passed, he spoke his mind, told the
truth as he saw it, and now will be punished.

He's a better man than I am.

And he's ten times the man that any of these right-wing
zealots who will attempt to smear and destroy him ever will
be.

I hope they will not succeed. I hope that this man, and
the ones like him, will be honored like the heroes they are.